North Wales Police seeks chaplains to give officers 'listening ear'

North Wales Police is looking for three volunteer chaplains

The trials and tribulations of a life fighting crime can mean even the most hardened officer needs somebody to to lean on.

That is why North Wales Police is hoping to recruit three multi-faith chaplains for staff to talk to.

It already has one, Gerald Williams, who signed up in 2015.

Their role, which is voluntary, will be to provide pastoral and spiritual care for those in the force that want it.

PC Rachel Ellis is pushing the new drive.

"We're often put into positions and situations where we're having to deal with high pressure and high-stress situations, we're making decisions that can affect people's entire life," she said.

"So those kinds of stresses and pressures can be quite damaging for people in terms of well-being. And when you think about the operational things that were involved, they're often very sensitive."

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That means officers cannot always talk to loved ones when they have a tough day.

"So sometimes we can get to a situation where we just need a little bit of extra support," said PC Ellis.

"Sometimes people don't feel that they really need counselling as such, they just want a listening ear."

Multi-faith chaplains can also help to improve community links, she said.

The service will offer pastoral assistance, including support for secular staff and officers.

Rachel Ellis is leading the drive to recruit the chaplains

But multi-faith chaplains were also important for attracting and retaining people from different communities, PC Ellis said.

"When you're looking at increasing diversity, you need to look at the provision that makes the job more appealing to people - and part of that is around faith, because certain communities have a stronger faith background," she said.

'Police officers are people'

While society may be becoming more secular, this was not necessarily the case everywhere, she said.

"Sometimes we lose sight of the fact that there are still a huge number of people who really have truly held beliefs and faiths, wherever they might be, and they do find a lot of comfort from that," PC Ellis said.

"And that's all people - and police officers are people.

"And if our officers and staff can derive extra support and comfort from their faith, then assisting them to do that is just the right thing to do."

The job has not been made easier by the pandemic, the police federation says

North Wales Police Federation was "fully supportive" of the drive to recruit more chaplains.

"Our members experience many of life's most traumatic events while diligently serving the public," general secretary Mark Jones said.

"It is vital they have the best possible welfare support."

Coronavirus had not made the job easier, he said.

"The past few months have been extremely challenging for all our front-line emergency services as they dealt with the complexities of the pandemic.

"The availability of non-judgemental, multi-faith chaplains will benefit police officers enormously," he said.